News and commentary on the autism epidemic and my beautiful boy who is living with autism.

November 15, 2005

Alert: Protect Vaccine-Injured Children's Rights

From the National Autism Association:

EMERGENCY ALERT!POWER OF PARENTS CALL-IN CAMPAIGN

WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN SWARM WASHINGTON WITH PHONES CALLS TO PROTECT VACCINE-INJURED CHILDREN’S RIGHTS!!!

Ø Pharmaceutical Liability Protection Language is now EVERYWHERE in pending legislation on Capitol Hill, and it’s getting worse by the minute.

Ø We need to get on the phones today, tomorrow, and Thursday to fight the most sweeping threat so far to our children’s rights.

Ø THIS IS WORSE THAN THE FRIST LEGISLATION. OUR CHILDREN WILL GET NOTHING.

Ø Our sources in Washington tell us that Pharma-protection language will be inserted into as much legislation as possible between now and Thursday. There are already ten different bills on Capitol Hill -- S3, S975, S1437, S1828, S1873, S1880, HR650, HR3154, HR3970, HR4245 -- that contain provisions which will let drug companies off the hook for injuries resulting from vaccines and other products.

Ø Other appropriations bills are being considered for similar provisions. If the provisions are attached to an appropriations bill WE CANNOT STOP IT!!!

HERE’S WHAT WE DO:THE POWER OF PARENTS CALL-IN CAMPAIGN.

Ø Get on the phone ASAP!!!

Ø Our ONLY defense is to prevent anything from being attached!

Ø Tell the legislators listed below plus your own senator and representative that they must not support any of the bills that take away your child’s rights and that you demand that drug companies not be rewarded for their disregard for safety.

Ø Remind them that their constituents are watching them very closely and will remember who supports the children, and who supports Big Pharma. They cannot have it both ways—they are either for our injured children, or they are against them.

Time is of the essence and it ties up their phone lines.

The results are immediate.

If you have time for faxing, below is a sample letter you can change to fit your situation, or just write your own brief note.

We need everyone possible to get involved—in-laws, neighbors, friends, and anyone else you can think of. Send this action alert to everyone in your address book. This is their best chance. WE MUST STOP THEM!

We will send out updates on the situation on Capitol Hill as we receive them.

VOTE YES to helping vaccine-injured children and NO to pharmaceutical companies.

I am aware of at least ten bills that already contain language that will severely limit the rights of my injured child and understand that even more bills are being targeted for similar provisions and will be slipped in like the Homeland Security Provisions. If any one of these bills is allowed to pass, my child’s right to have his day in court will forever vanish, all in the name of corporate greed.

As a citizen, voter and parent of a vaccine-injured child, I am appalled at the overwhelming amount of legislation currently on the table that will allow complete immunity to the very industry that has caused tremendous pain to my entire family.

I urge you to place the interests of injured children above those of the pharmaceutical industry. Along with hundreds of thousands of voters across the country, I realize that an industry already known for placing profit over safety will no longer have any incentive whatsoever to be concerned about injuries from their products should any of these various bills pass.

All of us parents of vaccine-injured children will be watching the actions of our legislators very carefully regarding all the relevant bills. Either you support the interests of injured children, or you support those of the drug industry. Those in the latter category will be pointed out to the media as an enemy of our injured children, and a protector and promoter of corporate greed.

I urge you to do all in your power to see that none of the bills that take away my child’s rights are passed. I am also contacting the local and national media today.